Patterson's Spade Mill
| Patterson's Spade Mill | |
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National Trust | |
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| Grid reference: | J261854 |
| Information | |
| Website: | Patterson's Spade Mill |
Patterson's Spade Mill in Templepatrick, County Down, is the last working water-driven spade mill in daily use in the British Isles.
The mill is today owned and run by the National Trust and gives visitors a live experience of the industry involved in the production of the humble spade, a must basic and vital tool.
Here the furnace blazes, the hammers thump and the air is ful of the smell the grit of the heat of the flame, in a traditional spade-making mill.
There are guided tours capturing life during the Industrial Revolution, revolutionary even in the craft of spade-making.
Visitors are unlikely to emerge with a face as long as a Lurgan spade, but they will learn the origin of this expressive phrase.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Patterson's Spade Mill) |
- Patterson's Spade Mill – National Trust